user 40839
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Lads*, I need help.
I've decided on a keezer. I've picked out my freezer of choice - Frigidaire 9cu ft. at Lowes. I will be going with four taps - an ubermick tap (Racer 5 clone, for instance), a SWMBO tap, a "seasonal", and stout. (Eventually, I plan on a nitro setup for the stout, but that's down the road a ways.)
Sounds like I'm all set, right?
Wrongo!
The keezer will need to look as good as possible - I'll have to clad the thing in wood, make it look all nice, to keep SWMBO approval. I've seen some fantastic examples of keezers on here to give me tons of inspiration. Where I need help making a decision is where my taps are going to be.
Firstly, the collar:
Most folks recommend adding a collar, and just have the shanks through that. Saves on cost, I don't have to punch holes in the freezer, easy peasy! Alas, the issues are bumping them while walking past, hitting them when loading/unloading kegs, and generally having a mess. Also - this is the least favoured option of SWMBO.
Second up, the Lord of the Rings - Two Towers!
I spotted Guntr's build thread, and absolutely love the look of his keezer. Problem is, I wanna go with four taps, so I'd need two 2-tap towers. I don't think that'd look BAD per se, but it'd make the top really crowded.
Third. Four tap tower!
Certainly a good looking option - SWMBO is a big fan of having the taps not pointing straight on the floor, as mentioned, but these things are DAMN expensive!! Mine would have to be the PVC route, but as functional as it is, I can't get away from the feeling that it looks a wee bit... cheap? (No offense to ANYONE who has this setup!)
Option Four: The homemade pass-through!
This was made with PVC pipe, mitred, and glued. Again, not a fan of the PVC option, but this one is the winner as far as SWMBO is concerned. That said, it's the PVC thing, and while I have potential access to a welder to make this out of stainless, there's no WAY I'd be able to weld and grind it to where it'd look this good... (Checked with ACU, quote for a four tap pass-thru is $300+, and that's without taps, shanks, etc.!)
So those are the four options. My heart says option four, just to please the wife and keep things running smoothly. My head says option one, since it's the easiest plan of attack, and the one least likely to cause me issues in the build, or make a mess of the freezer itself.
*Being Irish, "Lads" is a gender neutral term - I absolutely include the ladies!!
I've decided on a keezer. I've picked out my freezer of choice - Frigidaire 9cu ft. at Lowes. I will be going with four taps - an ubermick tap (Racer 5 clone, for instance), a SWMBO tap, a "seasonal", and stout. (Eventually, I plan on a nitro setup for the stout, but that's down the road a ways.)
Sounds like I'm all set, right?
Wrongo!
The keezer will need to look as good as possible - I'll have to clad the thing in wood, make it look all nice, to keep SWMBO approval. I've seen some fantastic examples of keezers on here to give me tons of inspiration. Where I need help making a decision is where my taps are going to be.
Firstly, the collar:
Most folks recommend adding a collar, and just have the shanks through that. Saves on cost, I don't have to punch holes in the freezer, easy peasy! Alas, the issues are bumping them while walking past, hitting them when loading/unloading kegs, and generally having a mess. Also - this is the least favoured option of SWMBO.
Second up, the Lord of the Rings - Two Towers!
I spotted Guntr's build thread, and absolutely love the look of his keezer. Problem is, I wanna go with four taps, so I'd need two 2-tap towers. I don't think that'd look BAD per se, but it'd make the top really crowded.
Third. Four tap tower!
Certainly a good looking option - SWMBO is a big fan of having the taps not pointing straight on the floor, as mentioned, but these things are DAMN expensive!! Mine would have to be the PVC route, but as functional as it is, I can't get away from the feeling that it looks a wee bit... cheap? (No offense to ANYONE who has this setup!)
Option Four: The homemade pass-through!
This was made with PVC pipe, mitred, and glued. Again, not a fan of the PVC option, but this one is the winner as far as SWMBO is concerned. That said, it's the PVC thing, and while I have potential access to a welder to make this out of stainless, there's no WAY I'd be able to weld and grind it to where it'd look this good... (Checked with ACU, quote for a four tap pass-thru is $300+, and that's without taps, shanks, etc.!)
So those are the four options. My heart says option four, just to please the wife and keep things running smoothly. My head says option one, since it's the easiest plan of attack, and the one least likely to cause me issues in the build, or make a mess of the freezer itself.
*Being Irish, "Lads" is a gender neutral term - I absolutely include the ladies!!